A New Year's resolution is a self commitment that a person makes to achieve personal goals, projects, or reforming of a bad habit. This committment is the driving force to perform the corrective and preventice actions througout the next year in order for acheiving the committed result.

Below are the top ten New Year Resolution which you can consider to chose from for your personal goals in next year:

1-Learning new things: Gaining more and more knowledge increases the wisdom level by giving you insightful depth in the field of your interest. Whether you are a professional, a businessman, student or a house wife you must learn new things in order to enhance your mental horizons and improving your life standards. You can do this by getting trainings, earning a new degree or certificate, subscribing to online communities or reading books. 2-Achieving Mental & Spiritual Heights: This one is my favorite as Mental peace and mental prosperity is the most critical aspect of life regardless of the financial situation. Even if you are rich, if you don't have mental peace, you are missing a great blessing so you must work on the techniques to attain a humble and stable mind. This can be achieved by attaining positive personality, by having better control on Anger, by being less Reactive, and by avoiding Stress.

3-Financial Targets: Most of us work on this target all year round. However we do not strategize enough to achieve it. Primarily we spend a lot of money on our wants instead of our needs. A careful analysis must be done before you spend on anything. Read this article for making good decision. Another aspect of achieving financial growth is to increase your sources of income for example running a new business, changing your current job, investing in land or gold etc. You may want to read this side article about what is actual wealth and how to achieve this.

4-Health and Fitness: With the invention of new luxuries the life style is becoming more and more lazy consequently raising the bar for health related concerns. What adds fuel to the fire is our increased liking for fast foods and dining out in unhealthy restaurants. Junk food adds fats, results in high cholesterol and high Blood Pressure which increase the risk of heart disease leading us towards big disasters. Make a commitment to yourself to minimize eating fast foods and shift to vegetables and fruits. This cannot be done overnight so you have to change your current habits slowly and steadily.

5-New Career Move: I was listening to the interview of the CEO of Porsche selling company; the guy mentioned that autonomy is the most considerable reason people leave their job. Everyone wants more and more luxury, independence and growth in life. So you make this resolution to go high in your professional ladder this year. Carefully sense the market and make a smart move. Read this article, 15 ways to Find Job

6-Cutting the clutters: This is not something to achieve rather to leave in order to gain indirect goals. Stats show that people who live simple life have higher happiness index. Basically what happens is that over the course of time we keep purchasing things because of our instant buying habit mixed with our intention to show-off and then eventually we dump these things in the closets or home store. Being too much materialistic and having the lust of acquiring more and more things, even if we don't use them, takes us away from simple life which ultimately add extra layer to the complications in our lives . Now is the time to clear all those bulky things in the closet and store including old clothes, toys and other commodities to give in charity. Personally, I use 6 months formula" "If something has not been used for the last 6 months, there is a most likely chance that it will not be used in next 6 months so better to give this to poor people & family around me"

7-Spend more time with family: With more focus on materialistic things we have reduced our family time, sometimes our children are being referred to as new age orphans. With everyone busy on his smart phones, PDAs, laptops and Television we have almost killed the family union spirit which is adding complications in relationships resulting in serious consequences. Strong family bonding are an indicative of better happiness index. People who spend less time with families are comparatively less happier. Make a resolution this year to become a family guy. Spend time with them, spend money on family fun activities and you will feel a special mental peace eventually.

8-Getting Organized: Staying organized has many advantages in terms of having more time for yourself and family; in terms of saving money; peace of mind, better health, balanced life and improved professional/Social life. This involves being organized in terms of time, in terms of office desk, official work, differentiating between urgent and important tasks and organize them, maintaining a personal diary, maintaining a list of things-to-do.

9-Helping Others: Not a lot of people focus on this but I would really appeal you to consider this. Charity Services are the tax we pay back to society for living on earth. Almost all of the religions emphasize to its followers to take care of people around them. Practically speaking, you can assign 3-5% of your earnings for charity projects within your country or foreign countries who are less fortunate; having low or no food and/or having lack of other basic human necessities like water, clothes, medicines etc. Article written by Junaid.Tahir10-Quit Smoking and drinking: Understood that bad habits die hard but remember the fact that bad habits make you die early too, especially when it comes to habits of smoking and drinking. Quit them ASAP before they overcome your health. You already know that how these two habits affect your lungs, kidneys and levers. Quit them before they make you quit the world.

Anxiety and fear dissipate quickly when countered with conscious breathing.

The signals our bodies use to tell us we need to cleanse ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally are multifaceted and often mirror symptoms we associate with illness. If we heed these signs, we not only feel better quickly but also stave off poor health before it can start. These quick fixes for common ailments can get you started.

1. Applying pressure to the acupressure point between the thumb and forefinger can release blockages causing pain, tension, and fatigue. You can relieve a headache naturally by squeezing for 20 seconds and releasing for 10 seconds, without letting go, four times.

2. To breathe freely, irrigate your nasal passages with a neti pot and warm salt water. As you clear and soothe the sinuses, congestion associated with allergies or infection will gradually disappear.

3. Apple cider vinegar is a powerful purifying and detoxifying agent. Soaking for 20 minutes in a warm bath infused with two cups of apple cider vinegar pulls toxins from the body and can clear blocked energy.

4. The foods you eat can have a profound impact on your outlook and mood. Eating a small yet satisfying meal rich in complex carbohydrates can lift your spirit and help you let go of feelings of anger, irritability, and depression.

5. Anxiety and fear dissipate quickly when countered with conscious breathing because concentrating on the breath enables you to refocus your attention inward. You can ground yourself and regain your usual calm by taking a series of deep belly breaths as you visualize your feet growing roots that stretch miles down into the earth.

6. Though tuning out can seem counterproductive, a few minutes spent lost in daydreams or listening to soothing music can help you see your circumstances from a new angle when you feel frustrated.

7. If you feel ill health coming on, brew a wellness elixir. Simmer three sliced lemons, one teaspoon freshly grated ginger, one clove freshly minced garlic, and one quarter teaspoon cayenne pepper in five cups water until the lemons are soft and pale. Strain a portion into a mug and add honey by tablespoons until you can tolerate the taste. Drinking this potent mixture of antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal ingredients three times each day can ensure your symptoms never progress into a full-blown illness.

Three people were laying bricks. A passerby asked them what they were doing.

The first one replied, "Don't you see I am making a living?"

The second one said, "Don't you see I am lying bricks?"

The third one said, "I am building a beautiful monument."

Here were three people doing the same thing who had totally different perspective on what they were doing.

They had three very different attitudes about their work. And would their attitude affect their performance? The answer is clearly yes.

REFLECTION

Excellence comes when the performer takes pride in doing his best. Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it, regardless of what the job is, whether washing cars, sweeping the floor or painting a house.

Michelangelo had been working on a statue for many days. He was taking a long time to retouch every small detail. A bystander thought these improvements were insignificant and asked Michelangelo why he bothered with them. Michelangelo replied, "Trifles make perfection and perfection is no trifle."

Most people forget how fast you did a job, but they remember how well it was done.

Pride of performance does not represent ego. It represents pleasure with humility.

I'm sure by now that you have established your sales targets. If you haven't I suggest that you get cracking and do it now. Time is slipping past! If you have set your targets, congratulations! Here are 10 things you can do to achieve those goals.

1. Invest time prospecting for NEW business every week. Most salespeople rely on existing clients to generate their sales. Allot a specific amount of time to look for new business opportunities whether it's within a current account or a completely new company. How much time are you prepared to commit to prospecting for new business?

2. Expand your reach. I know a VP of Sales who regularly gets his team together to brainstorm new industries they can target for their products. This helps his company consistently exceed their sales goals. What new industries or vertical markets can you target?

3. Improve your value proposition. Forget the tired approach of "Here's what we do and here's the awards we've won." What RESULTS do you help companies achieve? Focus on developing a 30 second pitch on this and make sure it is focused on your prospect, not your company. How can you improve your value proposition?

4. Improve your questioning skills. Most sales people think they ask good questions but in fact, they don't. Learn how to ask high-value, high-impact questions that make your prospects think and that differentiate you from your competitors. It may sound easy but it isn't. It requires forethought and courage to ask. What new questions can you start asking?

5. Ask for referrals. I know, I know. You've heard this before. So have I. But I'll be the first to admit that I don't execute consistently even though I know better. And the fact of the matter is referrals have a shorter sales cycle not to mention a higher closing ratio. What will you do to ensure that you ask for referrals more consistently?

6. Perfect your presentations. I'm not talking about memorizing your sales pitch. Instead, this is about adapting each sales presentation so that it addresses the specific needs of each prospect or customer. It also means investing time to rehearse every sales presentation before you meet with your prospect. What do you need to do to improve your sales presentations?

7. Gain agreement. This may sound obvious buy many sales people fail to ask for some type of commitment when they meet with, or talk to, prospects and customers. Asking for some form of commitment at each stage of the process increases your opportunity to close the deal. This can be as simple as asking, "What are the best next steps?" or "Are you prepared to move forward?"

8. Keep your name in your prospect's mind. A call or two is not enough. You need to find creative ways to keep your name in your prospect's mind. This can include snail mail, email, networking, drop-by calls, etc. and make sure that every contact offers some type of value to your customer and prospect. What can you do to keep your name in your prospect's mind?

9. Improve your selling skills. The business world has changed in the last 12-24 months. If you have not adapted your adapted your approach you run the risk of being ousted by the competition. This means you need to read a book, listen to a podcast, take a training program, get some coaching, or join a Mastermind group. And don't just listen to what being said; work at applying the concepts into your business. How can you improve your sales skills?

10. Show customers why they should keep doing business with you. Just because someone has bought from you in the past does not mean they will continue to do so in the future. In today's business climate you need to constantly prove to your existing customers why it makes sense to continue buying your product/service. What can you do to reinforce this to your customers?

Although the recession is officially over, it will take time for businesses to recover. Modify your approach now and apply the concepts in this article to make 2010 your best year ever!

The parents now a days are quite worred about the behavioral changes in thier childern due to several socio-economical reasons. The gap between parents and us, the youth, is increasing day by day due to which the family bonding is getting weaker and weaker. We, the youth, want liberty in every deed we do. We want our parents not to be disturb us in what-ever we do in what-so-ever manner. We have forgotten the amount of time our parnets have invested in for our brought up. We have forgotten the countless efforts and sacrifices by our parents throughtout our lives.

Starting from our birth they have taken care of our food (22years * 365 days * 3 times = 24000 times!), our clothes (daily washing, ironing, new purchasing), our education (daily home works, uniform, school/tution fee), religious & moral teaching every day (THE REAL GREAT JOB), computer & toys purchasing and God knows how many other countless efforts they have put in to make us a complete human being to survive in this world. Indeed, all those efforts cannot be covered in this article but the overall emphesis is that its our moral and religious mandatory responsibility to take care of them now.

Below are some small acts of kindness which I request you to consider to show your affection with them and to take care of them:

Give them enough money so that they don't have to ask you.

Share funny and entertaining things with them to make them laugh or smile.

Don't speak loudly. Speak slowly, nicely and softly.

Do not walk in front of them in market or anywhere. They might walk slow being old; stay behind them. Give them respect.

Ask for small tasks again and again. For example, "Abou Jee, do you need water? Should i bring tea for you? Are you hungry, baba" etc

Closely monitor thier health. visit doctor if required. Have them thorougly checked time to time.

Take care of their medicines. Set reminders on your phone for their medicines and serve them on time.

Take them to the mosque. Walk slowly. Follow their pace.

Take them to the park for walk. If not possible daily, then take them on weekend.

Do not call them by their name. Call them with respect.

Open the door for them with respect

Adapt yourself according to their schedule not vise versa.

Do shopping for them (buy their clothes, shoes, small items like tooth paste). Buy your mother a nice coffee cup. Take them to market and buy them according to their likings. Buy your parents some nice books; usually people love to read books in old age.

When you come back to home, visit them first in their room.

Respect thier social circle and let them enjoy with their friends. Article written by Junaid.Tahir

In case of conflict on any issue, try to follow them as much as possible. Remember, they have been sacrificing their money and time in raising you for years and years. Its time to pay back. They have been showing all the patience during your childhood. Its time for you to be patient.

Keep them with you instead of sending them to old houses etc. This will be a big act of ignorance if you do.

When starting the food, serve them first.

In the end, I would recommend making a check list of this email and and paste it on any wall in your room or kitchen and read it often to remember

Please do share if you are doing any other good thing in making your parents feel great :)

0058-mjunaidtahir-paradigmwisdom-160912- 18 Ways to Make Parents Feel Great

A message written by a former child which every adult should read, because children are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.

When you thought I wasn't looking , I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was g ood to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favourite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking;I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, ;I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be. When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you put your arms around your parents and give them a loving hug, and knew that I should also respect, love and care for my parents. When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you sitting by my Dad's bed all night when he was very ill, just holding his hand, and knew that I must care for my family, love and protect them.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, 'Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.'

LITTLE EYES SEE A LOT !

Each of us (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher or friend) influence the life of a child. How will you touch the life of someone today?

With shades of Minority Report, Japanese security services company SECOM unveiled an autonomous flying crime-prevention robot to the press on December 26. Basically a flying surveillance camera, the robot is the first of its kind in the world to be offered for private security use. Shuji Maeda, SECOM's president, said he hoped to make the device available in 2014.

Resembling a small-scale helicopter, the robot is packed with a wide array of sensors and works in conjunction with various SECOM security systems. Should an unauthorized person of vehicle enter the robot's patrol zone, it will automatically draw near and snap pictures of the intruder's face or car's license plate and send the image data back to SECOM's security center in real time. Equipped with LED spotlights, the robot is also able to take accurate pictures indentifying car and clothing colors even at night.

On-board sensors allow the robot to maintain a constant distance between itself and any suspicious person and to also move quickly out of harm's way should someone try to knock it down. Using GPS, the robot can be programmed not to fly beyond a predetermined area. The model currently being tested uses a small-scale, commercially available German-made helicopter as its platform, however, the company is considering switching to an in-house developed platform when it actually starts marketing the device.

President Maeda said he would like to offer the mini copter's services for "about 5,000 yen (Approx. US$58) a month" and has set a first-year sales target of 1,000 units. "It can be used as a value-added option for the 800,000 security systems we are already operating domestically," noted executive office Tsuneo Komatsuzaki, who added the Company expected users would also come up with new ideas for the device's use.

Next time you hit the grocery store, shop around for the best buys that support your own local environment. Check labels and signs of the produce you purchase and make an effort to buy locally grown products. Buying locally means less energy expended to bring food to your table, cutting down on everything from air pollution to the burning of fossil fuels from trucking in cargo. Buying locally also means fresher fruits and vegetables that are healthier for your body and tastier to your taste buds. Fruits and veggies shipped from abroad are usually harvested at least two full weeks before they are ripe so that they don't go rotten during their long voyages on planes and in crates before arriving to your grocer.

By buying from people in your area you're also supporting the local economy and helping to make your home part of a more sustainable community. If products aren't labeled at your grocery store, talk to the management and let them know you would like to know whether the tomatoes your buying were genetically engineered at some factory or whether they were grown under the same bright skies you wake up to in the morning. By buying locally, not only are you bound for a fresher taste but also for a healthier conscience by making simple decisions that go a long way in protecting all of our environments

I have noticed people thinking/talking about money all the times. The people are so much concerned about money that they count every single penny they have spent or going to spend. When I ask about this, their answer usually is that saving money is associated with the economical richness which is linked with their future happiness. This is fine however there are several catches which should be considered in parallel; for example, if one is saving money by:

1-compromising on health (eating less or eating bad quality food or not eating healthy diet to save money). Is this a good deal in the long run?

2-Not spending on his family's needs so depriving them from their rights. Is this a good idea?

3-Not giving gifts to his family members, consequently straining the family relationships which results in tense environment at home. Is this a good deal?

4-Not visiting friends and other family members so jeopardizing the social life. Is this a good way of living?

5-Not paying taxes to government so committing crime which is punishable in this world and hereafter.

6-Not paying Zakat/charity so depriving the less fortunate to enjoy the life and polluting the whole income and join the gang who are not in good books of Lord.

While analyzing the scenario of association of money with Happiness, I had these questions in my mind. What is the real definition of richness? Is this only money which one should be craving about? Or there are other things which need to ponder as well? Can wealth make me happy? What is real wealth? While thinking about the answers I concluded that there are four things which can make me happy. 1) Good Family Relations 2) Good Official Life 3) Good economical status 4) Good social Life. While thinking about Wealth, I ended up with having these types of wealth:

1-Physical Wealth

This is a great blessing indeed. If my major body parts are functional, nothing like that. I already posses loads of wealth. Imagine a millionaire having a plastic leg or hand. What if Lord offers you to exchange a million dollars at the cost of your eye or Leg? Off course you would never go for that option. So you have to feel happy about being healthy as this is amazing blessing. I would highly recommend not saving money at the cost of my health. And If you do it today, you will do it reverse as well, that means, you will be spending the same money to recover your health but off course with all the side effects of bad health. The article written by Junaid (mjunaidtahir at gmail dot com – feel free to comment)

2-Family Wealth

Family wealth means having healthy family relationships may it be with mother or spouse or kids. This is something extremely important to which everyone should work considering the fact that a major percentage of our life is spent with the family members. Keeping your family happy does not involve a lot of money expense hence you can keep your family happy by small good deeds even. For example, eating ice cream at the end of the day with all family, taking family to a park on weekend, sharing jokes before going to bed and/or bringing small nice gifts can make big difference for making family bonds stronger and stronger whereby increasing Family Wealth.

3-Inner Wealth

This is something which controls your emotions, your behavior, your character and definitely your destiny. Being optimistic, problem solver and positive thinker will make you a super hero in true colors. These qualities can bring about superb results and would control your peace of mind ultimately. Always remember: No one is in-charge of your happiness, except you. So control your thoughts and have a healthy "Inner Wealth" bank account. The article written by Junaid (mjunaidtahir at gmail dot com – feel free to comment)

4-Career Wealth

A positive environment, a nice colleague at work, a genuine team leader and a mature department head are real blessings. But sometimes you won't get all these in one package as it is said that you can select your friend but cant select your Team Leader or Director. However you can learn to manage your office environment up to large extent, you can manage your time and work load. You can have a balanced work-home load. You can sharp your skills by reading/trainings etc. Career Wealth is something which cannot be ignored while striving for happiness. There is load of information on internet which you can read to improve your "Career Wealth". Google it.

5-Economical Wealth

I believe I don't need to write any specific thing in this category as everyone already working on it day to day. I must say that economical savings should never be done at the cost of your Physical Wealth or Family Wealth. Further, we should always put aside a small percentage of money (say 5%) for social causes (hospital, helping needy families, spending on less fortunate people and other charity causes). From a Muslim's perspective, every single penny you spend in Allah's way is being saved in your Akhira Bank Account and you are going to get the benefit up to so many time based on your intensions and offcourse this results in Baraka in your family !!!

6-Impact Wealth

This is something different from other categories. Do you have a wealthy mental approach so that you do something for society. Everyone lives for himself but do you live for others? Are you helping person? Are you taking part in any social causes? Helping others gives real peace of mind and happiness so in my opinion it is a type of wealth. So how much Impact Wealth do you own? The article written by Junaid (mjunaidtahir at gmail dot com – feel free to comment)

Conclusion: Life is all about love and peace. We have to have simple rules for living. Complications arise when we start taking life too seriously by thinking about our wants too much. We have to live more with our Needs than our WantsJ

Once upon a time a big monk and a little monk were traveling together. They came to the bank of a river and found the bridge was damaged. They had to wade across the river.

There was a pretty lady who was stuck at the damaged bridge and couldn't cross the river.

The big monk offered to carry her across the river on his back to which the lady accepted.

The little monk was shocked by the move of the big monk and was thinking "How can big brother carry a lady when we are supposed to avoid all intimacy with females?" But he kept quiet.

The big monk carried the lady across the river and the small monk followed unhappily. When they crossed the river, the big monk let the lady down and they parted ways with her.

All along the way for several miles, the little monk was very unhappy with the act of the big monk. He was making up all kinds of accusations about big monk in his head. This got him madder and madder. But he still kept quiet. And the big monk had no inclination to explain his situation.

Finally, at a rest point many hours later, the little monk could not stand it any further, he burst out angrily at the big monk. "How can you claim yourself a devout monk, when you seize the first opportunity to touch a female, especially when she is very pretty?"

All your teachings to me make you a big hypocrite.

The big monk looked surprised and said, "I had put down the pretty lady at the river bank many hours ago, how come you are still carrying her along?"

Moral: This very old Chinese Zen story reflects the thinking of many people today. We encounter many unpleasant things in our life, they irritate us and they make us angry. But like the little monk, we are not willing to let them go away.

There is no point in remaining hurt by the unpleasant event after it is over. Learn to move on in life

I've interviewed thousands of people for jobs ranging from entry-level to executive. Easily three-fourths of the candidates made basic interviewing mistakes.

Did I still hire some of them? Absolutely... but never count on your qualifications and experience to outweigh a bad interview.

Here are eight practical ways to shine:

Be likable. Obvious? And critical. Making a great first impression and establishing a real connection is everything. Smile, make eye contact, be enthusiastic, sit forward in your chair, use the interviewer's name.... Be yourself, but be the best version of yourself you possibly can. We all want to work with people we like and who like us. Use that basic fact to your advantage. Few candidates do.

Never start the interview by saying you want the job. Why? Because you don't know yet. False commitment is, well, false. Instead...

Ask questions about what really matters to you. (Here are five questions great job candidates ask.) Focus on making sure the job is a good fit: Who you will work with, who you will report in to, the scope of responsibilities, etc. Interviews should always be two-way, and interviewers respond positively to people as eager as they are to find the right fit. Plus there's really no other way to know you want the job. And don't be afraid to ask several questions. As long as you don't take completely take over, the interviewer will enjoy and remember a nice change of pace.

Set a hook. A sad truth of interviewing is that later we often don't remember a tremendous amount about you -- especially if we've interviewed a number of candidates for the same position. Later we might refer to you as, "The guy with the alligator briefcase," or, "The lady who did a Tough Mudder," or, "The guy who grew up in Panama." Sometimes you may be identified by hooks, so use that to your advantage. Your hook could be clothing (within reason), or an outside interest, or an unusual fact about your upbringing or career. Hooks make you memorable and create an anchor for interviewers to remember you by -- and being memorable is everything.

Know what you can offer immediately. Researching the company is a given; go a step farther and find a way you can hit the ground running or contribute to a critical area. If you have a specific technical skill, show how it can be leveraged immediately. But don't say, for example, "I would love to be in charge of revamping your social media marketing." One, that's fairly presumptuous, and two, someone may already be in charge. Instead, share details regarding your skills and say you would love to work with that team. If there is no team, great -- you may be put in charge. If there is a team you haven't stepped on any toes or come across as pushy. Just think about what makes you special and show the benefits to the company. The interviewer will be smart enough to recognize how the project you bring can be used.

Don't create negative sound bites. Interviewers will only remember a few sound bites, especially negative ones. If you've never been in charge of training, don't say, "I've never been in charge of training." Say, "I did not fill that specific role, but I have trained dozens of new hires and created several training guides." Basically, never say, "I can't," or "I haven't," or "I don't." Share applicable experience and find the positives in what you have done. No matter what the subject, be positive: Even your worst mistake can be your best learning experience.

Ask for the job based on facts. By the end of the interview you should have a good sense of whether you want the job. If you need more information, say so. Otherwise use your sales skills and ask for the job. (Don't worry; we like when you ask.) Focus on specific aspects of the job: Explain you work best with teams, or thrive in unsupervised roles, or get energized by frequent travel.... Ask for the job and use facts to prove you want it -- and deserve it.

Reinforce a connection with your follow-up. Email follow-ups are fine; handwritten notes are better; following up based on something you learned during the interview is best: An email including additional information you were asked to provide, or a link to a subject you discussed (whether business or personal.) The better the interview -- and more closely you listened -- the easier it will be to think of ways you can make following up seem natural and unforced. And make sure you say thanks -- never underestimate the power of gratitude.

Knowledge is knowing the tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in your fruit salad." – Miles Kington.

Wisdom has a close relationship with sight-related words: foresight, insight, hindsight, reflection, enlightenment, visionary, etc. The wise person is able to see beyond the small issues and find a larger perspective; that is why they are so fascinating and useful. Telling your problems to a wise person will result in a solution that you might have not been able to think of, because you are too concerned with your own problems (which, in the scheme of things, are small).

Really, isn't wisdom why we are all here? If wisdom is looking beyond individual things and seeing larger trends, then people on this website can see that their life is made up of all the little habits and traits that make them so individual. Crafting a better life is all about focusing on those small things and hacking them to create a larger effect further on in time.

Here are six uses of this skill of looking beyond the near and the obvious. They all have this one thing in common, but have wide and far reaching effects.

1-See Beyond the Cloud of Emotions

Beginning with Aristotle and Plato, philosophers have argued that emotions interact with reason when we make decisions. Aristotle believed that emotions exist on difference scales, and having an extreme on either side of the scale is a failing. For example, the virtue of courage is the perfect middle ground between the extreme emotions of foolhardiness and cowardice. The way to make this balance, in Aristotle's view, is by the use of reason. Or, to use a cartoon example, the Green Lantern has to use power rings of different colors (emotions) occasionally to overcome his enemies. Only when these emotions are channeled through the power of his green ring (representing willpower) can Hal Jordan save the day.

2-Seek Long-Term Goals instead of Short-Term Pleasures

The infamous marshmallow test suggests that being able to delay gratification is a cornerstone trait of successful people. But, more than that, it is linked to better physical health, psychological health and social standing. The connection is obvious: it is far easier to sit down and watch TV or eat, rather than going for a walk, having a heart-to-heart with a loved one, or making new friends. It is easy to forget what you want in the long-term when you don't have clear goals—that is why having them is such an indicator of success.

3-Dispel the Illusion of Certainty

Life is certain? Are you sure about that? Every living creature tends towards homeostasis: it attempts to stabilise its environment for security, stability and simplicity. The tendency of chance is to create insecurity, instability and complexity, but it is only through chance that living things can evolve. Evolution isn't just limited to biology—it happens with culture and innovation as well. The wrong chance adaptions can cause an organism to die out (unsuccessful mutation) and this can be true of other evolution. The chance development of fire mutated and changed the race that discovered it; the chance development of nuclear power and rockets did the same, but they may be our end. With chance, there are no limits to change because there are no restrictions of logic, purpose or morality. Understanding the nature of the dice can shatter comfortable realities, but it can also stop people from living an illusion.

4-See the Consequences of Your Actions

Just like throwing a rock into a lake, your actions create ripples. When you fail to understand the consequences of your actions, there are two resulting problems: if the consequence was negative, you will fail to learn from your mistake and keep on repeating the problem behavior; if the consequence was positive, you will be unable to repeat the behaviour that gave you your desired results. Either way, you lose out. When you assess different courses of action, understanding the potential consequences is what allows you to repeatedly make the best decision. Remember the carpenter's proverb; "measure twice, cut once".

5-Understand the Holistic Nature of Knowledge and Community

Learning in one area can improve learning in others. This isn't touched upon much in schools, although some people capitalise upon it and produce great work in their exams. The classic example is that learning a musical instrument can make you better at mathematics. Our brains aren't good at dividing what we know into subject areas—people just try to force them to do so. The same can be said of communities: we live in societies that are dependent upon others, and part of accepting that is offering the acceptance we would give to a neighbor across the street to the people of a neighboring country. Cosmopolitanism is the ideology that all humans belong to a single community based on shared respect and morality.

6-See Things as They Are

Many of us have our vision obscured by the information presented to us. Media capitalises on sensational and gruesome stories, with little attention paid to the mundane, which makes it easy for us to become disenchanted with the world. When we see current events, there is wisdom in looking into the context and the history behind those events, as well as looking forward to the possible future outcomes. In the history and context lie stories and motivations that are ignored just to give a story a certain spin or to make an argument appear stronger.

The truly wise man understands how far the scope of knowledge extends and how little they know in comparison. Because of this, a wise man would never try to list comprehensively all the ways to become wise, so these are a just a chosen few. Feel free to add to them, in your own time.